Councillor Mark Bunting

A well-known radio and television broadcaster, event MC and Hamilton personality, Mark is in his first term on Council.

He is the head of the Waste and Recycling taskforce and a member of the Access Hamilton and Parking taskforces.

Raised in Central Otago, he was originally a primary schoolteacher with an educational psychology degree. He then embarked on a 30-year radio career that took him all over the country and garnered top ratings and several awards.

It was radio that landed him in Hamilton in 1992, as The Rock's first breakfast announcer, a role he then played at a series of progressively milder stations in Hamilton, culminating in The Breeze, from where he retired from broadcasting in 2016. His easily recognisable voice has also graced commercials and events and his communication expertise extends to speechwriting.

Mark's interest in politics, particularly at the local level, was first planted by his father. His one previous political role was as a member of the WEL Energy Trust for 13 years, managing its dividends and discounts and allocating millions of dollars in community grants.

As a new Councillor, he particularly enjoys the robust debate in the Chamber and believes that, while the elected members have a range of world views, they all want to make Hamilton the best city in the world.

Mark is community focussed, a vocal champion of the city and its assets, and is keen to help boost Hamilton's profile. He is focused on building a community that cares for each other, first and foremost. He wants to push forward on transport and urban planning and leave this friendly city as a place where people want to come home, generation after generation.

He is also a supporter of community gardens and very keen to see cycling facilities enhanced across the city. He wants fitness stations next to playgrounds, so parents can work out while their children play nearby.

As an animal lover, Mark believes that pets are residents too and that how we treat them is a sign of how we feel about ourselves as a community.

He is a father of three, and when time allows, he enjoys running and cycling, and playing guitar.

His personal mission is to make New Zealand the friendliest place in the world, person by person. He says he is achieving this through the decisions he make in the chamber and through his confidence company - profiles.nz.